The Gift of Toby
by Pepper9873
Summary: B'Elanna's favorite stuffed animal is damaged during a shuttle crash, and she decides to tell Tom the story behind it.


A/N: I wrote this in a little over an hour, but I hope you like it. Please review.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story, they are the respectful property of Paramount, I just write stories about them.

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Tom couldn't stand to look. His baby was lying lifeless in the Shuttle bay. He probably would have cried, but he wasn't one for that type of thing. Taking in a deep breath, he found the courage to continue. '_At least B'Elanna wasn't hurt,'_ he consoled himself.

B'Elanna placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder; she knew how much Tom adored the Flyer. She felt somewhat at fault for the current condition it was in. She should have been able to avoid the asteroid field, but at least she was able to bring it back in one piece.

They entered the Flyer together. Tom was pleasantly surprised that the damage just looked worse on the outside. He went straight to the helm, while B'Elanna looked elsewhere.

"Oh, Toby." He heard her murmur.

"Toby?"

"Yeah, Toby. He wasn't so lucky. It's weird, he survived almost twenty years with me, but he just couldn't make it this time," she said, as she looked the stuffed targ over.

"You've had him that long?" Tom knew that she had Toby for awhile, but he didn't know exactly how long.

"Yep, and I still remember the day I got him."

Tom spun around in the chair. "Tell me about it."

B'Elanna sat down, and got herself comfortably. "Well, I was eight, and my grandparents had taken me and my cousins to the zoo. The zoo had just added a targ exhibit, thanks to some generous donations from the publishers of the 'Toby the Targ' holoprograms. So, in thanks, they named their male targ Toby, and they also had a whole bunch of stuffed animals made in his likeness. From the first time I saw him, I was just captivated by him."

"Then what happened," Tom couldn't help but pipe.

B'Elanna stared at him, then continued with her story. "Before we left, my grandpa took my cousins and I into the gift shop. When I saw the display of 'Toby the Targs', I had to have one. I begged grandpa to get me one, but instead, I walked out of the store with a bag full of lollipops that had to be shared with my cousins."

Tom laughed a bit. He knew all too well what it felt like to have to share something, when you would rather have it to yourself.

"After we went back to the shuttle, grandpa told grandma that he had left something in the store. Grandma loaded everyone into the shuttle, as grandpa left to retrieve what he had left."

"But when does Toby come into the picture?"

"Soon," she told him in a somewhat impatient tone. "Christmastime rolled around, and all the while, I was asking every relative for the stupid stuffed targ. I watched the presents under the tree every single day to see if anything new went under for me. Finally, on Christmas Eve, I spotted a new box wrapped in gold paper, and covered with a big red bow, only it didn't have a name on it. Now, my cousin, Dean, thought it was for him. I told him he was stupid to believe that, and let the matter go. On Christmas day, Dean went straight for that gold box, but my grandpa stopped him. 'That one is B'Elanna's,' he had told him, and I was shocked. But, once that shock wore off, I dove for the box. I quickly unwrapped it, then pulled the lid off, and inside was Toby. I was so happy, I couldn't stop smiling," she said with a smile lighting her face.

Then, out of the blue, her face grew solemn. "That was the last Christmas I had with my grandpa before he died," she admitted. "Ever since then, I guess Toby became that much more important. He helped me get through a lot growing up. However, it's probably time I let him go." She looked at the toy for a bit, then gently placed him in the receptacle. They both left the Flyer soon after.

B'Elanna walked briskly towards her quarters. "Computer, lights," she ordered as she entered. The Computer responded with a beep, and the lights turned on. As B'Elanna looked about her room, she saw a strange form on her bed. Moving closer she could see a box covered with gold wrapping paper, on top was a big red bow. She opened the box, and inside was Toby, he was perfectly restored and had a blue bow tied around his neck. Underneath him was a card that read, "Toby didn't really appreciate being left in the receptacle, but if you promise never to do it again, he'll forgive you."

B'Elanna had a huge smile on her face. She casually slapped her combadge, "Torres to Paris."

"Paris here."

"Thank you." She closed the link, and hugged Toby close to her.


End file.
